Prevalence of dangerous alcohol consumption in nursing students

BACKGROUND: The use of alcohol is a phenomenon widely spread among young people and takes on different psychological, sociological and cultural connotations. The aim of the study is to stimulate the prevalence of dangerous alcohol consumption and examine the associated factors in a cohort of nursing students from the University of Palermo. METHODS: The study employed a cross-sectional study design. On March 2020, a survey was provided to all nursing students of University of Palermo of the three years of course who attend daily lessons. The questionnaire was structured into two parts. The first section investigates on socio-demographic information. In the second part of the survey, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (A.U.D.I.T.-C) Test was administered. A multivariable logistic regression model was used and adjusted Odds Ratios (aOR) are presented. RESULTS : The sample consisted of 525 students (70.3% female). The probability to have a risky consumption of alcohol is significantly associated with the following independent variables: “second” (aOR 3.66) and “third” (aOR 4.28) year of study; “to be a smoker” (aOR 2.11) and “to be a former smoker” (aOR 4.23); “Age Class <22 years old” (aOR 2.77). CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights how there is an increasing consumption of alcohol among students during the years of the degree course in nursing sciences. It also highlights how there is a strong association between cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption in this category

COVID-19 infection: Comparing the knowledge, attitude and practices in a sample of nursing students

Background: SARS-CoV-2 infection is a global health problem that is primarily detected in Italy with progressive increase in cases and deaths. To facilitate the management of the pandemic in Italy, it is essential to understand the level of attention on COVID-19. The aim of the study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices towards SARS-CoV-2 among the nursing students of University of Palermo during the rapid rise period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The current study was a cross-sectional study. On-line questionnaires were used for the collection of the data by providing a survey in all nursing students. The questionnaire consisted of two parts: demographics and Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) survey. A multivariate linear regression model was used and adjusted Odds Ratios (aOR) are presented. Results: 525 students were interviewed and their mean age was 21.8. The overall score indicates good practices among the three courses of study (p=0.025). The Multivariable logistic regression showed that the dependent variable \u201cPractice poor score\u201d is statistically significant associated with these independent variables: \u201cOther country of birth\u201d (aOR 17.7, 95% CI 2.31-136.03), \u201csecond\u201d (aOR 2.65, 95% CI 1.21-7.80) and \u201cthird\u201d (aOR 2.96, 95% CI 1.31-6.72) year of study, \u201clow perceived health status\u201d(aOR 2.35, 95% CI 1.04-5.30) and \u201cKnowledge poor score (aOR 3.05, 95% CI 1.06-8.77). Conclusion: Our results suggest that health education programs aimed at improving COVID-19 knowledge are helpful for nursing students to hold optimistic attitudes and maintain appropriate practices. (www.actabiomedica.it